Overview
- Multiple outlets report pro‑Trump activists are circulating a 17‑page draft executive order that alleges Chinese interference in 2020 as grounds to declare a national emergency and expand presidential control over voting.
- The draft would mandate photo ID, require hand‑counted ballots, ban most mail‑in voting, restrict voting machines, and in some versions require voters to re‑register with identification ahead of the 2026 midterms.
- ABC News reports sources say President Trump has reviewed versions of the draft, and advocate Peter Ticktin says he has had contact with White House staff, while the White House acknowledges routine outreach from outside advocates and declines to discuss specifics.
- Legal and election‑law experts say the president lacks authority to take over state‑run elections, citing the Constitution’s Elections Clause, and voting‑rights groups and Democrats vow rapid litigation if any such order is issued.
- U.S. intelligence assessments found no evidence foreign actors altered 2020 vote tallies and concluded China considered but did not deploy election influence efforts, and The New Republic reports Trump told reporters Friday he was not looking into the idea.